Mark Green to run for County Supervisor

Union City Mayor Mark Green told our Linh Tat this evening that he is running for the Alameda County Supervisor seat being vacated by Gail Steele.

He’ll have a lot of company on the Democratic Primary ballot in June. Already in the race are former state Senator Liz Figueroa, Hayward City Councilman Kevin Dowling and Nadia Lockyer, the executive director of the Alameda County Family Justice Center.

Green had filled out a statement of intent to run this summer, but he listed his wife as the treasurer and hadn’t raised any money, so it wasn’t clear if he was really going to run.

County Supervisor is as plum a political job as you can get. There are no term limits, and no matter how frustrated voters get, they never take it out on their county supervisor. Once you’re in, you’re pretty much set for life. Just ask Green as Union City Councilman Richard Valle. They both tried and failed to oust Steele.

I took a look at the candidate campaign contribution lists last week. Lockyer had already raised nearly $70,000 through June. It probably doesn’t hurt that her husband is state Treasurer and former state Attorney General Bill Lockyer. Quite a few of her contributors live closer to Baja than they do to Hayward.